A prime number, like “17 is a prime number”, is a positive integer greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller positive integers. For instance, 17 is only divisible by 1 and 17. Prime numbers are fundamental in mathematics and computer science.
Prime numbers play a crucial role in cryptography, the practice of secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. They also have applications in number theory, abstract algebra, and other theoretical disciplines. The ancient Greek mathematician Euclid proved that there are infinitely many prime numbers around the 4th century BC.
